How I Became Lusamine's Gardevoir
by RebeccaRGB
Summary: A recent college graduate gets a job at the Aether Foundation. (May contain spoilers. If you've been intentionally avoiding all Pokémon Sun & Moon news, avoid this.)


It all started just over two years ago. I had recently graduated from University of Alola Akala College and had accepted a job offer for an entry-level position at the Aether Foundation. I had heard good things about how they cared for hurt Pokémon and their research programs. Besides that, I particularly admired the Foundation's president, Lusamine. My first day on the job, I filled out all my HR paperwork, picked up my uniform, had my picture taken, had a blood sample drawn, and received my badge. I was employee number 26588.

From day one there were rumors among its ranks about the Foundation experimenting with human-Pokémon fusion. The official position put forth by the PR department was one of denial of any involvement in such areas of research, but this did not quell the suspicions of many of my fellow employees. I made the mistake one day of expressing intrigue in the concept while most of my coworkers instead expressed disgust. For weeks after some of them continued to look at me funny. I made sure never to make that mistake again, but the damage had been done.

Not long after I started we received news of strange creatures we had never seen before appearing around Aether Paradise. We were told they were called Ultra Beasts, they had come from another dimension, and the Foundation was researching them. More than a few of us suspected, however, that these were, in fact, the results of early experiments combining human and Pokémon DNA. One such Beast bore a striking resemblance to the assistant of a Professor I had once met. I believe the assistant's name was Lillie. Yet another looked quite similar to Lusamine herself.

One day I was approached by the assistant branch chief, Wicke. "The boss would like to see you," she said. I locked my workstation and followed her to the president's office.

Like the rest of Aether Paradise, the president's office was gleaming white everywhere. Before me, behind a huge gleaming white desk, sat the glamorous Lusamine. By her side stood the branch chief, Faba, sporting his signature green sunglasses. To my right I could see a giant machine with various knobs, buttons, and switches, but by far its most notable feature was the three alcoves large enough to contain and built to restrain a human or humanoid Pokémon. In the leftmost alcove, a Gardevoir struggled to escape. Lusamine stood up from her desk and she and Faba approached as Wicke locked the door behind me.

"Employee 26588, am I right?" spoke Lusamine.

"Yes," I said. "What is going on here?"

"A little Pidgey told me you were particularly interested in a certain highly controversial area of research," she continued. "Lucky for you, after we ran that DNA analysis program you and your team have been working on for the last two quarters, we discovered that you were the employee most compatible with my friend Gardevoir here."

"Wait, I didn't necessarily…"

"Oh? I thought you wanted to volunteer? Well, it's already too late, you've already been matched up. Faba, Wicke!"

"No, wait!" I screamed as Faba and Wicke grabbed me and dragged me towards the rightmost alcove of the massive machine. They locked the restraints in place as I squirmed.

"Pull the switch, Wicke!" cried Lusamine.

A sudden jolt of electricity swept through my body, paralyzing me from head to toe. Reality as I knew it faded away. I felt myself being accelerated upward, as if through a tunnel, as streaks of light whizzed past me. From below, Gardevoir entered my field of view.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"The Pokémon Transport System," Gardevoir telepathed to me.

"But I'm a human. How is that possible?"

"Humans have entered the Pokémon Transport System before," Gardevoir telepathed. "But due to adverse effects experienced by the record keepers, the records were destroyed."

"If the records were destroyed, how do you know that?"

"I'm part Psychic-type, remember?"

"She's fusing us together, isn't she?"

Gardevoir nodded.

As Gardevoir and I continued on our journey, the tunnel became narrower and narrower, bringing the two of us closer and closer together until eventually our bodies intersected. As the tunnel continued to narrow, the system rearranged us to become completely superimposed, matching head to head, arm to arm, and leg to leg. In our new state of superposition, I could see, hear, think, and feel everything Gardevoir did, and vice versa. As the light surrounding us intensified, it became impossible for the two of us to move independently. The Transport System considered what was previously two beings now one single creature. With a flash of pure white light, reality came back into focus.

I flopped out of the middle alcove onto the floor. Except I was now Gardevoir. Or rather, Gardevoir was now me. Either way, I did not have enough time to fully contemplate what exactly had happened before Lusamine threw the Cherish Ball at me. As it bounced off, the ball cracked open and a powerful force drew me inside. The outside world faded out again as I became pure energy, to be safely and securely stored inside the Poké Ball. Once I was comfortably contained inside, the ball snapped shut and fell to the floor.

 _One shake…_

Part of me knew what was happening wasn't right. I had to break out of this ball. I wasn't supposed to be here; a Poké Ball isn't supposed to work on humans. I had to escape so I could figure out what had happened and how to reverse it. If I couldn't escape I would be trapped here forever. This was my only chance.

 _Two shakes…_

Part of me thought, isn't this what I always wanted? To become a Pokémon? To be cared for by a loving and worthy Trainer? Why else would I be so fascinated by the idea of human-Pokémon fusion? Why should that be considered a bad thing? After all, as I once read in a book of old Sinnoh folk stories, people and Pokémon were long ago considered one and the same.

 _Three shakes…_

Part of me knew this had to be right. A Poké Ball only works on Pokémon, and this ball worked on me, therefore I was a Pokémon. I belonged here, in my Poké Ball; a Cherish Ball, nonetheless! My Trainer cherished me! And I, in turn, cherished her. After all, my Pokédex entry does say I will protect my Trainer even at the risk of my own life. Lusamine is my Trainer. I would risk my own life to protect Lusamine.

 _Click!_

From the inside of my Poké Ball, I could hear the distant sounds of the top brass of the Aether Foundation cheering about their latest accomplishment.

That was exactly one year ago today. In that time, I have mostly forgotten about my previous, human existence, and have fully adapted to my new life as a Pokémon. I stand faithfully by my Trainer, Lusamine. She cares for me and treats me well, and I give it my all in every battle and contest. (As exciting as they are as a Trainer, they are even more exciting as a Pokémon!) Today is our anniversary, and to mark the occasion, she even managed to find me a Gardevoirite. Being part Psychic-type, I see many good years in our future, and I wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
